Johannes Quasten (3 May 1900 in Homberg – 10 March 1987 in Freiburg im Breisgau) was a Roman Catholic theologian and scholar of patristics. He was the son of Wilhelm and Sibilla Quasten.
After confrontations with the Nazi regime, he moved to Rome. The university had blocked his appointment as professor, dismissed him as assistant and finally revoked his venia legendi. Through the mediation of Clemens August Graf von Galen, and through the intercession of the Cardinal Pacelli (later Pope Pius XII), he moved to the United States of America in 1938, joined the Catholic University of America in 1938 and progressed through its ranks. He became Dean of Theology at CUA in 1945, senator in 1949, he retired in 1970.
"A tough but fair professor, Msgr. Quasten wrote prolifically about his specialty — early Christian history, liturgy, and patristics. He churned out book reviews, articles, and papers, but none compared to his magnum opus Patrology. Showcasing his expert knowledge and years spent in the field, this three-volume mammoth outlines the writings and contributions of the Early Church Fathers."[1] The Patrology (Patrologia) series was later continued by Angelo Di Berardino, OSA, of the Patristic Institute Augustinianum in Rome.
1948 Visiting lecturer at the Abt-Herwegen Institute for Historical Liturgical Research (Maria Laach Abbey)
1951 Member of the steering committee for the Patristic Conference at Oxford University
1960 Cardinal Spellman Award of the Catholic Theological Association of America for his Verdienste auf dem Gebiet der Theologie
1960 Papers and participation in the pontifical commission regarding sacred liturgy in preparation for the second Vatican Council invited by Pope John XXIII
1960 Member of the Oxford Historical Society
1964 Ernennung zum Consultor Consilii ad exsequendam Constitutionem de sacra Liturgia by Pope Paul VI
